Carlos Sainz: F1 career, stats & what to know
At a glance
Carlos Sainz Jr. is a 31-year-old Spanish Formula 1 driver currently competing for Williams. Over his career spanning 237 races, he has reached the podium 29 times, claimed 11 pole positions, and won four races. His tenure across multiple top teams has established him as a consistent performer capable of qualifying and racing at the front of the grid.
Career statistics
Across 237 starts, Sainz's record stands at 4 wins, 29 podiums, and 11 poles. His 11 pole positions demonstrate clear qualifying pace—he can set competitive lap times under pressure—yet his 4 wins from 237 starts reflects a career shaped more by podium consistency than outright victory frequency. This pattern is common among drivers who compete in competitive but not dominant cars, or who operate in eras where grid competitiveness limits easy race-day wins.
Recent seasons
The 2024 season marked the high point of Sainz's career points tally. Driving for Ferrari, he accumulated 290 points and secured 2 wins, finishing fifth in the championship standings. This represented his strongest campaign in terms of raw points and victories in a single season.
His move to Williams for 2025 brought a significant reversal. That season saw him accumulate 64 points and finish ninth in the championship—less than a quarter of his Ferrari point total from 2024. The 2026 season has deepened the trend, with Sainz currently managing 6.00 points and sitting 15th in the standings without a win. These consecutive drops illustrate the gap between the machinery and resources available at Ferrari versus his current team.
Current team
Sainz has been with Williams since 2025. The transition from Ferrari—traditionally a championship-capable organization—to Williams, a midfield competitor in the current era, represents a notable shift in his career trajectory. His performance under the Williams banner provides concrete data on how established drivers function when moved to teams with different technical capabilities and resources.
Why follow Carlos Sainz
At 31, Sainz represents an experienced driver in the middle stage of his career whose trajectory illuminates patterns in Formula 1 team dynamics and driver movement. His four wins and 29 podiums across 237 races—roughly one podium per eight races—demonstrate consistent performance across different organizations and competitive eras.
The gap between his 2024 Ferrari season (290 points, 2 wins) and his 2025–2026 Williams campaigns (64 and 6 points respectively) is instructive: it shows how dramatically team capability shapes performance metrics even for accomplished drivers. For those tracking driver transfers, team performance, and the competitive hierarchy of Formula 1, Sainz's current role at Williams provides a live case study in how established grid talent adapts when moved to organizations with different resources and competitive standing.